Teacher Tip Tuesday: All Day Field Trips
I recommend taking your students on field trips a few times every fall and every spring (unless you live in a less volatile climate - then feel free to go in the winter, too!)
Although they may wear you out, I also recommend an all-day field trip in the fall and another in the spring. (I like to space them out, so I have time to forget what a pain the last one was.)
Some tips for setting up an all-day field trip:
1. Don't go too far, so that your travel time exceeds educational time. Another option is to extend your day.
2. Keep their lunch time in mind. Our school eats very early, so I make sure we have a snack or stop for lunch at the usual time. You don't want hungry kids going on an art museum tour. They will not be at their best!
3. Plan the day with one or two key activities. Don't overschedule. If you get somewhere late, the host will be unhappy, your students will all have to pee (thus making you later,) and you will feel frazzled. Always allow extra time, but have something planned in case you do actually arrive ahead of time.
4. Doublecheck all reservations a week before. Call everyone from the bus company to the history center the week before. Even if you've made reservations, you want to check one last time that everything is still on track. If anyone seems the least bit unsure, then call them again a few days before your scheduled trip.
5. Be sure chaperones know their duties. If you take chaperones, have them sign contracts. Sometimes having adults along is like bringing a few extra large children.
6. Relax. On the day of the field trip, grab your schedules, your forms, your checks, your purse, camera, and jacket. Then, board the bus and relax. You'll survive!
7. Review. While it's still fresh in your mind, write notes about what worked and what didn't. Put the notes some place where you will use them again next year, when you're crazy enough to do it all over again.
Although they may wear you out, I also recommend an all-day field trip in the fall and another in the spring. (I like to space them out, so I have time to forget what a pain the last one was.)
Some tips for setting up an all-day field trip:
1. Don't go too far, so that your travel time exceeds educational time. Another option is to extend your day.
2. Keep their lunch time in mind. Our school eats very early, so I make sure we have a snack or stop for lunch at the usual time. You don't want hungry kids going on an art museum tour. They will not be at their best!
3. Plan the day with one or two key activities. Don't overschedule. If you get somewhere late, the host will be unhappy, your students will all have to pee (thus making you later,) and you will feel frazzled. Always allow extra time, but have something planned in case you do actually arrive ahead of time.
4. Doublecheck all reservations a week before. Call everyone from the bus company to the history center the week before. Even if you've made reservations, you want to check one last time that everything is still on track. If anyone seems the least bit unsure, then call them again a few days before your scheduled trip.
5. Be sure chaperones know their duties. If you take chaperones, have them sign contracts. Sometimes having adults along is like bringing a few extra large children.
6. Relax. On the day of the field trip, grab your schedules, your forms, your checks, your purse, camera, and jacket. Then, board the bus and relax. You'll survive!
7. Review. While it's still fresh in your mind, write notes about what worked and what didn't. Put the notes some place where you will use them again next year, when you're crazy enough to do it all over again.
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